Thursday, June 18, 2009

With increasing regularity, we are seeing news reports of people who encounter other people in online dating chat groups or singles forums, met them in person, and were either assaulted, raped, or killed.

The most recent high-profile case causing concern is that of Philip Markoff, the Boston medical student who ran across a woman online through Craigslist's erotic services section, met her in person, and shot her. The arrest of the alleged "Craigslist killer" this past April set off a nationwide furor about the lack of safety precautions at online dating sites.

Craigslist, which previously permitted online advertisements for escort services, has reduced that danger footprint by banning such ads after U.S. Attorneys throughout the country applied pressure to do so. But other online web sites have arisen to advertise these illegal services that pose unknown dangers to the women involved, and sometimes to men as well.

Beyond online advertising for prostitution and escort services, the Internet features numerous dating and social networking sites where people can put up ads to meet others.

"Many people use these sites and meet wonderful people online. However, many others meet liars, people cheating on their wives or husbands, and even predators who use the power of the Internet to lure their victims," said Dave Pettinari, a Pueblo County private investigator. Pettinari who owns TAC Forensics and Investigations. Pettinari highly recommends that anyone considering dating online, especially if a face-to-face meeting is contemplated, get a thorough background check on that person prior to meeting.

The Safer Online Dating Alliance reports that MySpace recently removed 90,000 accounts after it was learned the sites belonged to registered sex offenders. That is a significant portion of the known one million registered sex offenders in the U.S.

Pettinari said that a qualified private investigator has the knowledge and resources to quickly determine if the person has a criminal background or whether he or she is using a fake name or providing false information to the person contemplating meeting that person.

Estimates are that 40 million single Americans are looking for soul mates using online dating services or web-networking sites such as MySpace, Match.com, Facebook, and Craigslist. These sites have a simple signup process that does not allow for vetting or screening of information. In other words, the person can provide false information to open an account – a fake name, a tough-to-trace e-mail address, and false information about work background, interests, and activities.

"People can be anyone they want to be over the Internet," Pettinari said, even to the point of providing photos that are not of that person. "When people are looking for romance, they are often not as guarded and careful as they should be about selecting appropriate potential partners. Liars, sexual predators, and even murderers can hide their true intent behind seemingly harmless online identities.

"If you were to meet someone like this in a bar, you might immediately have the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, and know to stay away from them!Online dating sites are resistant to procedures that would ferret out the creeps who would prey on others, saying it would put a major dent in their online business activities. So it is up to the consumer of these services to take care of their own safety."

After the Craigslist killer arrest, Craigslist was hit with another scandal when a North Carolina man used the site to hire a man to rape his wife while the husband watched. Pettinari also mentioned cases where men have raped women they met over the Internet after slipping drugs into their drinks, and men who have swindled women they met on line under pretenses of romance. After gaining their confidence, they run up charges on their credit card, open accounts in their name, even purchase automobiles before they disappear with the ill-gotten assets.

While the vast majority of victims are women, some men also have been victimized, often by men who pose as women. They either rob or harm the man who responds in person to their online virtual conversations.

"Regardless of where you live in the country, you can find a reputable private investigator who specializes in running background checks on potential Internet dates," said Pettinari. "Generally, the costs run from $100 to $200, depending on the depth of the background investigation. While not cheap, this is money well spent to protect a woman or man from a nutso stalker, or from physical or sexual abuse or murder. Such checks will also let the customer know right away whether or not the intended paramour is married or truly single."

Pettinari said few dating sites require background checks for felonies prior to allowing people to sign up for an account. But one site that does is True.com, which also screens its millions of members to determine whether or not they are married. True.com recently sued a convicted California sex offender who tried to register himself as an eligible bachelor.

Pettinari, who met his wife 14 years ago through a date-match ad in a local newspaper, said anyone contemplating getting together should always meet in public for the first few dates, as he and his wife did.

The Safer Online Dating Alliance warns women on its website never to post photos of their children, nor to describe them in detail, saying that single mothers who openly say they seek partners who like children have inadvertently attracted pedophiles.

"While I would not totally discourage men and women from going online to meet others, as I did it myself when I was single, I would encourage them to do it very circumspectly, and with utmost concern for their own safety," said Pettinari.

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Dave Pettinari, computer forensic examiner/private investigator

Dave Pettinari, a retired 20-year veteran of the Pueblo County, Colo., Sheriff's Office, now owns a computer forensics, Internet investigations, and private investigations consulting business. He formerly was a commander of a high-tech crimes unit at the Pueblo County (Colorado) Sheriff’s Office, including participation in the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.He and fellow officers arrested 36 online predators who go after children in chat rooms and in instant messaging.

He has taught numerous national and state-level seminars on use of the Internet for Law Enforcement Intelligence, Investigations, identity theft, and computer crime.In all, he has published 100+ articles in national publications over the years, about one-fourth of them on computer crime and Internet crime topics. He taught around the country with a course of his own invention since 1995 on computer crime, Internet crime and identity theft investigation. He is a former instructor for Internet Crimes Inc., and for Paraben Corp. on forensically processing and finding information on cell phones and PDAs.

Today, in addition to operating his businesses, he teaches multiple courses at two universities and a college.

Pettinari holds a master's degree in journalism from Marquette University in Milwaukee where he was a J.L. O'Sullivan fellow. He also holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Regis College in Denver. He graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Colorado Springs.

A certified peace officer, he attended the School of Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University in Chicago.He has been trained in computer forensics, attending 37+ computer crime and computer forensics schools, to include the Federal Law Enforcement Center’s “Criminal Investigations in an Automated Environment” course, SEARCH computer crimes, SEARCH Investigation of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children, EnCase (basic, intermediate and advanced), and the National White Collar Crime Center’s Basic Data Recovery and Analysis course, Advanced Data Recovery and Analysis course, Internet Trace Evidence Recovery and Analysis course, and numerous other schools. He holds the EnCE designation, meaning he is EnCase certified.

He is a former president of the Southeastern Colorado Law Enforcement Association, and of the Southern Colorado Press Club. He served as president of Police Futurists International in 1999-2000.

A major in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, he served in Operation Desert Storm (England, Turkey and Saudi Arabia), and in Operation Provide Comfort, the airdrop mission to the Kurdish people.He served as a reserve member of the Air Force Office of Special Investigation, specializing in computer crimes investigation and anti-hacking.He was assigned to Travis AFB, CA, but served also at Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs. Pettinari is a graduate of Squadron Officers School and Air Command and Staff College.

In his military life, he was activated for a month to examine 500 gigabytes of information coming out of the Guantanamo, Cuba espionage investigation.

TAC Forensics and Investigations is a full-service investigative firm specializing in computer, cell phone and PDA forensics. We are committed to provide excellent, timely services, with integrity and ethics as our watchwords in every investigative step.

If you need immediate, in-depth reporting to resolve a concern or work a case that will stand up in court, you can rely on our expertise. We specialize in quick-turnaround investigations that provide you results to move on a resolution very quickly.

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TAC Forensics and Investigation private investigators provide our clients with accurate answers to their questions in a professional, cost-effective and confidential manner. By hiring us to work your case, you are getting the assistance of a professional with excellent knowledge, skills and an attitude to fulfill every assignment to your satisfaction.

We also provide consulting services and rent equipment to those who cannot afford to pay the entire freight for expert assistance. With this approach, you can invest your own time and work your situation with expert guidance from a professional.

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TAC president Dave Pettinari is an investigator with more than 20 years experience in the field serving the Pueblo area as well as the entire state of Colorado. He is a senior member of The Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado, the only Colorado association that conducts background checks on its investigators, and belongs to the National Council on Investigations and Security Services, the Colorado Association of Computer Crime Investigators and the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists. Pettinari retired after 20 years as a commander with the Pueblo County (Colorado) Sheriff’s Office and was a reserve Air Force Office of Special Investigations special agent for six years. He is a certified computer forensic examiner and cell phone/PDA examiner.